Ran across an interesting concept this weekend. What is your opnions?

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Yesterday this couple came to get some square bales for their horses, and told me about this "deal" they ran across. They have some friends...or aquaintances ,,, that have one of those boutiqe dairy farms that are getting popular around the Atlanta suburbs. Last 3 generations it was a dairy, now the great-grandsons have turned it into one of those places where you can buy free-range chickens and turkeys, grass-fed beef and mutton, ( but gonna stop the beef, which is how this situation developed) yard-eggs, and raw milk.,.kinda-sorta. In Ga you can't sell raw milk, but you can drink it yourself...give it to friends, etc. So some of these places have come up with a deal to sell you a cow, or shares in a cow, and they board it for you and milk it for you, for a fee.

So they tell me this place has stared doing a pumpkin patch, corn maze, sunflower field for sunflower festivals, and have planted vines to start a winery, taking up pastures they used to run grass fed beef on. They told me this place has about 20 cows they milk..Jeresy, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, a couple of milking shorthorns and something by friends called "Shires) . Shire is a draft horse, so I am guessing these are Ayrshire. Basically, any milk breed tother than Holstein. Now that so much pasture is gone for the tourist things, , they will AI these cows to a sire of the same breed to freshen them. They used to breed the heifers to an Angus back when they sold grass-fed beef. Now, they don't have the room to raise their heifers or raise steers to slaughter. They usually wean the calves at 2 months or so,, I guess when they get them eating calf feed good.

So here is what they want to offer my friends: When the calves get weaned, 2 or 3 mos old, they want to take them to my friends' place. Gonna give them the all-dairy bull calves, and they want my buddies to raise the heifers to breeding age then my friends can breed them to a beef bull, keep them to right before they calve, then give them back to the dairy folks. They will birth out my friends' calves and give them back to them at 2 months or so at weaning. The dairy owners will send them a months supply of the calf feed they have weaned them to. My buddies can buy more from them, or use that month's supply to mix with whatever feed they wanna use. They remembered back in the 2010's I was getting in these 4 x4 x8 Alfalfa bales and wanted to see if I could still get them, to feed these calves with. And they said they wanted to breed them with a Brahma bull, or maybe Brangus, and wanted to know if Iwould I find them one when the time came.

I dunno..what do y'all think? Get these 2-3 month old heifers, feed them for a year til it is time to breed them, then feed them 9 more months before they calve That is 2 years before you get a calf off of them, that you gonna have to feed for 4-5 months til you sell it or it gets old enough to live off hay and pasture?!! If they decide to keep the crossbred heifers, then it is another 2 years before they get a calf off of it to sell. The dairy is going to take care of all vet costs like vaccinations, etc, and will have banded these full dairy bull calves they gonna give you. First thing that I thought of, was the dairy can screw them by using sexed semen, too.

Dunno what those dairy steers will sell for at about 500 lbs..I am sure well less than beef steer would. Right now, 1/2 Brahma and 1/2 Jeresy or Brown Swiss heifers will bring $1200-$1500. Dunno about the 1/2 Guernsey, Shorthorn or Aryshires will bring. If he uses Brangus bulls, his steers would bring what black steers do now..more than 1/2 Brahma steers would, but the 1/2 Brangus heifers would probably bring less than 1/2 Brahmas. This dairy calves year round, so he won't have 20 of their purebred calves, or the 20 1/2 breds they will get back, at the same age at the same time.

Sounds like a better deal for that dairy than for my buddies. What do y'all think?
 
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15-20 years ago, I raised dairy calves mostly Holsteins. When I first started calves both bulls and heifers were practically worthless. Then got to where they were worth $200-300 at 3 day old bulls and heifers were $300-500. I had one dairy that I bought all their calves and sold the heifers back to them at around breeding time.
Honestly, I just spun my wheels on the steers, and did better selling heifers.
These Jersey and Swiss etc calves and crosses aren't going to sell as good as Holstein and Holstein crosses would.
Saw 2 pretty decent looking 500 some odd pound Brown Swiss steers sell last week for 50 cents a pound. Can't make anything on that cause them dairy calves take a world of feed.
I don't understand the particulars of the deal they been offered but it don't sound to promising to me for the folks that would be raising the calves.
 
15-20 years ago, I raised dairy calves mostly Holsteins. When I first started calves both bulls and heifers were practically worthless. Then got to where they were worth $200-300 at 3 day old bulls and heifers were $300-500. I had one dairy that I bought all their calves and sold the heifers back to them at around breeding time.
Honestly, I just spun my wheels on the steers, and did better selling heifers.
These Jersey and Swiss etc calves and crosses aren't going to sell as good as Holstein and Holstein crosses would.
Saw 2 pretty decent looking 500 some odd pound Brown Swiss steers sell last week for 50 cents a pound. Can't make anything on that cause them dairy calves take a world of feed.
I don't understand the particulars of the deal they been offered but it don't sound to promising to me for the folks that would be raising the calves.
I remember when the 3 -day old Holsteins calves sold for $10 at the sale. Dunno what they would now, as there are no dairies here anymore. Actually Br x Jersey and Br x BS heifers and cows sell for a little more than Br x Holsteins do, from what I am seeing. For the pure dairy steers they want to give these people on the deal, Holsteins would sellhighers than the othersk excpet maybe Jersey. There are people who buy just Jersey calves to feed out and put up to eat. They call them "sweet meats". LOL

The particulars? What if a dairy told you they would give you all their pure dairy bull calves for free. These would be 2-3 months old, weaned off milk and eating like Calf Manna or Calf Starter. They also send you theor pb dairy heifers, and you feed them and raise them to breeding age, breed them to whatever bull you want to, give them back a week before calving, and when those calves are 2-3 months old, they give those back to you, bull and heifers, free and clear? Would you do that?
 
Run away fast.
I think my hay broker I was importing those big Alfalfa bales has died. We quit doing that when the ware house we were storing them in and delivering from burned up in 2010. Lightening hit it. I had 2 loads, $11,000 worth in it when it happened. I lost interest in doing that right then.

And I agree...run! Or, I might tell them I would take that deal but they had to pay something.... $20 or $25 or something a month.. for every month I had their pb dairy heifers on my place.
 
I remember when the 3 -day old Holsteins calves sold for $10 at the sale. Dunno what they would now, as there are no dairies here anymore. Actually Br x Jersey and Br x BS heifers and cows sell for a little more than Br x Holsteins do, from what I am seeing. For the pure dairy steers they want to give these people on the deal, Holsteins would sellhighers than the othersk excpet maybe Jersey. There are people who buy just Jersey calves to feed out and put up to eat. They call them "sweet meats". LOL

The particulars? What if a dairy told you they would give you all their pure dairy bull calves for free. These would be 2-3 months old, weaned off milk and eating like Calf Manna or Calf Starter. They also send you theor pb dairy heifers, and you feed them and raise them to breeding age, breed them to whatever bull you want to, give them back a week before calving, and when those calves are 2-3 months old, they give those back to you, bull and heifers, free and clear? Would you do that?
I don't know can't answer that right off hand, but I personally am inclined to say no.
Getting calves that are already started free sounds decent, but still a lot of money going towards feeding them, until near calving. At least 18 months or more to get them to that point. Might be different other places but a Jersey steer ain't never been worth much here and ain't likely to ever be, that's why people feed them out they get them cheaper.
It just don't look like potential for much money transacting there, for the time and effort.
 
I don't know can't answer that right off hand, but I personally am inclined to say no.
Getting calves that are already started free sounds decent, but still a lot of money going towards feeding them, until near calving. At least 18 months or more to get them to that point. Might be different other places but a Jersey steer ain't never been worth much here and ain't likely to ever be, that's why people feed them out they get them cheaper.
It just don't look like potential for much money transacting there, for the time and effort.
I figure 2 years or more. You get a 2 mos old heifer, feed her til she is 15 months old ( 13 mos) breed her and raise her til calving ( 9 mos..that is 22 mos ) then you get a 2 month old calf back you have to feed for another 4-5 months. That is 2 and 1/2 years to get a steer you could sell. More than that if you wanna raise those heifers and breed them.
 
I figure 2 years or more. You get a 2 mos old heifer, feed her til she is 15 months old ( 13 mos) breed her and raise her til calving ( 9 mos..that is 22 mos ) then you get a 2 month old calf back you have to feed for another 4-5 months. That is 2 and 1/2 years to get a steer you could sell. More than that if you wanna raise those heifers and breed them.
That's what I'm saying, it's a long program
 
I think my hay broker I was importing those big Alfalfa bales has died. We quit doing that when the ware house we were storing them in and delivering from burned up in 2010. Lightening hit it. I had 2 loads, $11,000 worth in it when it happened. I lost interest in doing that right then.

And I agree...run! Or, I might tell them I would take that deal but they had to pay something.... $20 or $25 or something a month.. for every month I had their pb dairy heifers on my place.
As you already know I deliver 4x4x8 Alfalfa hay to the horse people near you. It can happen if you ever need it.
 
Yesterday this couple came to get some square bales for their horses, and told me about this "deal" they ran across. They have some friends...or aquaintances ,,, that have one of those boutiqe dairy farms that are getting popular around the Atlanta suburbs. Last 3 generations it was a dairy, now the great-grandsons have turned it into one of those places where you can buy free-range chickens and turkeys, grass-fed beef and mutton, ( but gonna stop the beef, which is how this situation developed) yard-eggs, and raw milk.,.kinda-sorta. In Ga you can't sell raw milk, but you can drink it yourself...give it to friends, etc. So some of these places have come up with a deal to sell you a cow, or shares in a cow, and they board it for you and milk it for you, for a fee.

So they tell me this place has stared doing a pumpkin patch, corn maze, sunflower field for sunflower festivals, and have planted vines to start a winery, taking up pastures they used to run grass fed beef on. They told me this place has about 20 cows they milk..Jeresy, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, a couple of milking shorthorns and something by friends called "Shires) . Shire is a draft horse, so I am guessing these are Ayrshire. Basically, any milk breed tother than Holstein. Now that so much pasture is gone for the tourist things, , they will AI these cows to a sire of the same breed to freshen them. They used to breed the heifers to an Angus back when they sold grass-fed beef. Now, they don't have the room to raise their heifers or raise steers to slaughter. They usually wean the calves at 2 months or so,, I guess when they get them eating calf feed good.

So here is what they want to offer my friends: When the calves get weaned, 2 or 3 mos old, they want to take them to my friends' place. Gonna give them the all-dairy bull calves, and they want my buddies to raise the heifers to breeding age then my friends can breed them to a beef bull, keep them to right before they calve, then give them back to the dairy folks. They will birth out my friends' calves and give them back to them at 2 months or so at weaning. The dairy owners will send them a months supply of the calf feed they have weaned them to. My buddies can buy more from them, or use that month's supply to mix with whatever feed they wanna use. They remembered back in the 2010's I was getting in these 4 x4 x8 Alfalfa bales and wanted to see if I could still get them, to feed these calves with. And they said they wanted to breed them with a Brahma bull, or maybe Brangus, and wanted to know if Iwould I find them one when the time came.

I dunno..what do y'all think? Get these 2-3 month old heifers, feed them for a year til it is time to breed them, then feed them 9 more months before they calve That is 2 years before you get a calf off of them, that you gonna have to feed for 4-5 months til you sell it or it gets old enough to live off hay and pasture?!! If they decide to keep the crossbred heifers, then it is another 2 years before they get a calf off of it to sell. The dairy is going to take care of all vet costs like vaccinations, etc, and will have banded these full dairy bull calves they gonna give you. First thing that I thought of, was the dairy can screw them by using sexed semen, too.

Dunno what those dairy steers will sell for at about 500 lbs..I am sure well less than beef steer would. Right now, 1/2 Brahma and 1/2 Jeresy or Brown Swiss heifers will bring $1200-$1500. Dunno about the 1/2 Guernsey, Shorthorn or Aryshires will bring. If he uses Brangus bulls, his steers would bring what black steers do now..more than 1/2 Brahma steers would, but the 1/2 Brangus heifers would probably bring less than 1/2 Brahmas. This dairy calves year round, so he won't have 20 of their purebred calves, or the 20 1/2 breds they will get back, at the same age at the same time.

Sounds like a better deal for that dairy than for my buddies. What do y'all think?
So they are getting a bottle calf... for keeping the heifers until they birth that first calf?

Am I understanding that right?

And they are getting the day old steer calves for "free"?

That's a hard pass for me.

EDIT: Your later post says they get the calves after they are weaned from a bottle? About three months, both heifers and steers? Still a hard pass...
 
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So they are getting a bottle calf... for keeping the heifers until they birth that first calf?

Am I understanding that right?

And they are getting the day old steer calves for "free"?

That's a hard pass for me.

EDIT: Your later post says they get the calves after they are weaned from a bottle? About three months, both heifers and steers? Still a hard pass...
This dairy gives the calves their mother's colostrum for 3 days, or whenever it clears up. They then feed them on a bottle with some of the milk they get from the 20 cows every day, and start them eating something like Calf Manna , weaning them off the milk by 2 or 3 months. They will my friends' 1/2 breed calves as well.
 
This dairy gives the calves their mother's colostrum for 3 days, or whenever it clears up. They then feed them on a bottle with some of the milk they get from the 20 cows every day, and start them eating something like Calf Manna , weaning them off the milk by 2 or 3 months. They will my friends' 1/2 breed calves as well.
I don't see it penciling out for your friends.
 
If I understand you right the dairy folks are paying for the feed ? If that's the case I can't see not doing it . All you are in is your time ?
 
This dairy gives the calves their mother's colostrum for 3 days, or whenever it clears up. They then feed them on a bottle with some of the milk they get from the 20 cows every day, and start them eating something like Calf Manna , weaning them off the milk by 2 or 3 months. They will my friends' 1/2 breed calves as well.
Yeah, I eventually got that. So keeping the full dairy heifers from 3 months old to whenever they calve... basically 21 months or more.

And then they get the half dairy calf back in three months and they also get any full dairy bull calves at 3 months. That sounds like two, maybe two and a half, 3 month old calves for keeping the dairy heifer for almost two years. Probably closer to two years than 21 months.

And they have to raise the full dairy bull calves and half dairy calves until they are marketable at a larger size or they have to find a market for them at lighter weights.

It's hard enough to make money on a good, full beef calf at 7 months. Dairy calves are worth half, more or less, and they're only three months old and lighter than a beef calf would be regardless of age.

Again... hard pass.

Are the dairy people paying for all the feed? That might make it doable.
 
I remember when the 3 -day old Holsteins calves sold for $10 at the sale. Dunno what they would now, as there are no dairies here anymore. Actually Br x Jersey and Br x BS heifers and cows sell for a little more than Br x Holsteins do, from what I am seeing. For the pure dairy steers they want to give these people on the deal, Holsteins would sellhighers than the othersk excpet maybe Jersey. There are people who buy just Jersey calves to feed out and put up to eat. They call them "sweet meats". LOL

The particulars? What if a dairy told you they would give you all their pure dairy bull calves for free. These would be 2-3 months old, weaned off milk and eating like Calf Manna or Calf Starter. They also send you theor pb dairy heifers, and you feed them and raise them to breeding age, breed them to whatever bull you want to, give them back a week before calving, and when those calves are 2-3 months old, they give those back to you, bull and heifers, free and clear? Would you do that?
Valued quite generously, a weaned Holstein is worth less than $300. The Jerseys and Guernseys might be worth $100. Beef cross calves bring a premium of 50-100. You'd be looking at raising a heifer for 20-24 months to get $700 worth of calves at best. I'd be insulted that the dairy would even propose that deal.

Edit: I noticed they don't even have Holsteins. It's not worth considering for a second.
 
Saw some Holstein calves that were a couple days old come through the sale few weeks ago. They brought $20 per hd. Three were free, those looked like they didn't feel to good .
 
Yeah, I eventually got that. So keeping the full dairy heifers from 3 months old to whenever they calve... basically 21 months or more.

And then they get the half dairy calf back in three months and they also get any full dairy bull calves at 3 months. That sounds like two, maybe two and a half, 3 month old calves for keeping the dairy heifer for almost two years. Probably closer to two years than 21 months.

And they have to raise the full dairy bull calves and half dairy calves until they are marketable at a larger size or they have to find a market for them at lighter weights.

It's hard enough to make money on a good, full beef calf at 7 months. Dairy calves are worth half, more or less, and they're only three months old and lighter than a beef calf would be regardless of age.

Again... hard pass.

Are the dairy people paying for all the feed? That might make it doable.
No, they are just going to send a month's worth of their calf manna tyupe blend with each calf.
 

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